Patient and carer organisations
The collaborators included in the programme are Riksförbundet HjärtLung (http://www.hjart-lung.se) the patient organisation for heart and lung diseases in Sweden. This organisation provides research funding and also educates and financially supports the involvement of patients in research as research partners. The projects will collaborate with the experienced research partner Roland Carlstein. The Swedish Stroke Association will also be involved with Kim Randrup chair of the local Stroke Association Stockholms south as an active partner. Furthermore, both the national and the European organisations of carers are involved via the Swedish Family Care Competence Centre and Eurocarers in the project for developing a website for family carers.
International collaboration
The researchers in the programme have several ongoing international collaborations. Tiny Jaarsma and Anna Strömberg will run project 3 as an international RCT. Data on the Wii trial (project 3) will also be collected by the research team of Dr. Tuvia Ben Gal, director of the HF Unit in Rabin Medical Centre, specialist with broad clinical and trial experience and who closely collaborate with patient and professional organisations in Israel. We also work with Prof Hans-Peter Brunner de la Rocca and dr Josiane Boyne Jannsen from Maastricht University, who have experience in using the ICT tool ‘Health Buddy’. Additional important input will come from Prof. Dr. Simon Stewart, head of Preventative Health & Group Leader of Population Health and Profiling at the world-renowned Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute. Professor Stewart is currently leading 5 major clinical trials to refine the efficacy of primary and secondary prevention. From Italy we collaborate with Dr. Ercole Vellone, a member of the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tor Vergata who will contribute in to data collections and advise on monitoring of clinical data. From the University of Pennsylvania (USA) we work with the multidisciplinary team of Professor Barbara Riegel, including Dr Libonati, who is an expert in exercise and physiology.
The Swedish Family Care Competence Centre (SFCCC) is an active membership of Eurocarers, a non-govermental organisation comprising national carer associations and national research centres working to advance the situation of carers in Europe. Currently, there is representation from all 28 EU Member States. Elizabeth Hanson currently acts as scientific leader and representative for Eurocarers within the EU project INNOVAGE concerning workpackage 3, ICT-based social support for Carers of Older People. Elizabeth Hanson is an active member of IACO: the International Alliance of Carer Organisations- a collaborative of national carer organisations committed to establish a global understanding of and respect for the integral role that family carers have on care recipients, health and social care systems, and society. There are 7 founding members from Europe, Australia, Canada and the US. The chair, Gail Hunt from the National Alliance for Caregiving in the US, is a leading international researcher in the field.
New Tools for Health and InnovationskontorEtt
New Tools for Health (NTH) is a regional growth initiative sponsored by Vinnova, Östergötland County Council as well as municipalities of Norrköping and Linköping. The main focus of NTH is to create new products and services that result in more efficient health care in the homecare setting and increased independence for the individual. NTH has a large contact network within the region, nationally and internationally and access to a wide range of expertise. NTH promotes mobile solutions within ICT for older adults and provide resources such as financing, contacts with potential customers and unique testing and development environments. The ideas may come from companies, innovators, researchers or employees working in the care sector. NTH supports the entire process, from pre-study and development to the commercialisation of new products and services that can reach an international market (http://www.newtoolsforhealth.com).
InnovationskontorEtt (www.innovationskontorett.se) has the task to stimulate and support researchers and students in commercialisation efforts, both by forming new companies and by interaction with available companies and other organisations. Support is given in ways like intellectual property rights training and advising, legal advising, coaching, prototyping and market analysis. Specific tools developed by InnovationskontorEtt are also used, i.e. Venture Arena® (matching business projects with entrepreneurs) and Open Innovation Accelerator, OIA (a marketplace for ideas generated at LiU). A project with commercial potential can attract supplementary funding from Vinnova, and the investment vehicle of the university, Linköpings universitet Holding AB.